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New veterinary skills centre to open in Aberdeen
The new centre will contain a mock veterinary practice and animal disease diagnostics laboratories.
£850k project will be ready for the start of the 2021-22 academic year.

Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) has announced plans to open a state-of-the-art veterinary clinical skills teaching centre in Aberdeen.

The £850,000 investment will see the creation of a ten-room Veterinary Clinical Skills Centre at SRUC’s Craibstone campus, containing a clinical skills laboratory, mock veterinary practice and animal disease diagnostics laboratories.

Opening in September, it will also be kitted out with 360-degree cameras, video streaming and touchscreen displays to connect the centre to other SRUC campuses and remote learners.

Caroline Argo, dean of SRUC’s North Faculty said: “Our new Veterinary Clinical Skills Centre will offer one of the best experiences for students of veterinary nursing and other animal-related programmes across the country. 

“Rural veterinary practices are vital for farming and rural life and they face challenges when it comes to finding veterinary nurses and support teams. By focussing on the development of talented new professionals for rural practices, our graduates will have the skills, knowledge and opportunities for long, successful and fulfilling careers.” 

More than 100 students will be expected to study at the centre each year. There will also be short courses for veterinary professionals and paraprofessionals at weekends at evenings.

It follows the announcement of new equine facilities for Craibstone, also due for completion in September. 

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.